Sewing-machine.



G. E. MOLYNEUX.

SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 25, 1910.

Patented Jan. 2, 1912.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co.,w1\smNGToN, D c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. MOLYNEUX, OF BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE SINGER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SEWING-MACHINE.

Application filed February 25, 1910.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. MOLY- NEUX, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bayonne, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates more particularly to that class of sewing machines provided with a tubular work-supporting arm or horn longitudinally of which the work is fed in stitching tubular articles; and it has for its principal object to provide an endoap for the work-support normally serving as a housing for the loop-taker, but capable of being shifted out of operative position to expose the latter for threading or adjustment or for other purposes without being entirely detachable from the machine. As preferably constructed, the end'cap has at the upper side of its closed end a longitudinal aperture or guideway having a comparatively narrow slit at the top and capable of receiving the opened-out marginal portions of the lap seam to be presented to the covering stitch-forming mechanism comprising two needles and a single cooperating looper arranged crosswise of the direction of feed. The work-supporting arm has a lateral undercut guideway extending longitudinally thereof to receive a slide-block or bar to which is pivotally connected an arm rigidly attached to the cap; and a stoppin is provided upon the throat-plate to prevent the swinging of the cap upon its slide-block or carrier until it has been withdrawn longitudinally sufliciently to clear the loop-taker and prevent injury of the latter, whereby access is given to the loop-taker for threading or for adjustment or other purposes.

The invention will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front end view of the tubular work-support, the needles and presserfoot of a sewing machine such as that shown and described in mypending application Serial No. 521,801, filed October 9, 1909, and Fig. 2, a side elevation, partly in section, representing the forward end of the worksupport. Fig. 3 is a rear end view of the cap showing in section thethroat-plate with its side-shift stop, and Fig. 4 a plan of the forward portion of the work-support, partly in section. Fig. 5 is a front end view of the. work-support with the end-cap represented- 6 the shank 7 of the presser-foot having pivot-ally connected therewith by means of the pin 8 the tilting foot portion 9 provided in its forward portion with the guide-fin or keel 10 adapted to enter the angle between the united marginal portions of a lap seam flattened out to receive the covering stitches for the exposed rawedges. The tubular horizontally extending horn or work-support 11 is provided with the usual arched throat-plate 12 secured thereon by means of screws 13 and having a flattened operative portion 14 extending beyond the extremity of the arm and upon which the presser-foot normally rests. The top 14 of the throatplate is provided with the longitudinal apertures or slots 15 for the laterally spaced operative portions of the feed-dog 16 and needle apertures 17 connected by parallel slits 17 with the central feed aperture 15 to form a fabric-supporting tongue 18 intermediate and rearward of the needles.

The tubular end-cap 19 is shown of general cylindrical form with closed forward end and is cut away to form a recess in its upper side to receive the reduced forward portion of the throat-plate 12, one side of the recess aifording a guide-shoulder 20 adapted to engage the head of a stop-screw 21 tapped in and depending from the bottom of the throat-plate at one side of one of its lateral feed-dog apertures 15. The circular forward end of the cap 19 whose peripheral portion extends in advance and somewhat above the flattened top of the throat-plate has formed therein a forwardly flaring and somewhat flattened upwardly inclined clearance aperture 22 leading into a similarly inclined clearance groove 23 in the forward end of the throatplate, and having leading into its top a longitudinally arranged central guide-slot 2 1, directed toward the space intermediate the needles, to admit 11o the previously stitched overlapped plies of fabric at the seam, the marginal portions of such plies entering the clearance aperture 22.

The end-cap 19 terminates at the rear extremi'ty in an abrupt annular shoulder fitted to the forward extremity of the cylinderarm 11, and adjacent such extremity its side wall is slightly thickened to form an annular shoulder 25 adapted for engagement with the spring catch-plate 26 formed with an operative shoulder 27 and having its shank 28 let into a lateral recess in the arm 11 and secured therein by means of the screw 29 and interposed block 30. By means of the catch-plate 26, which is arranged and operates wholly inside of the cap 19, the cap is held securely in operative position, but may be readily disengaged therefrom by a slight effort of the operator, as the shoulder 27 of the catch-plate is somewhat inclined to the direction traversed in the shifting of the cap. As shown herein, the cap has secured in its inner wall the reduced forward end of a backwardly extending rigid arm 31 which is notched at its rearward end and pivotally connected by means of a transverse pivotal pin 32 with a tongue 33 formed upon the forward end of a slide-bar or block 34 of slightly clovetailed cross-section which is fitted to a correspondingly formed lateral slideway 35 formed within and extending longitudinally of the arm 11. The arm is provided adjacent the slideway 35 with an inner slot or recess 36 whose forward end affords a positive stop-shoulder 36 for the reduced inner end portion 37 of a screw-pin 38 tapped into the slide-bar 34c and adapted by its engagement with the forward stop-shoulder of the slot 36 to limit the outer motion of the cap when withdrawn from operative position. By forming both of the members 31 and 34 of similar undercut cross-section, not only are they both adapted for free movement and guidance within the similarly formed slideway 35 of the arm 11,-but the slideway acts upon the arm 31 to guide the same in controlling the shifting movement of the cap axially of the work-supporting arm, while both are confined in operative relation with the arm 11.

As described more fully in my said application, the shank of the single eye-pointed looper 39 which cooperates with the needles 4:, in the production of the covering seam, is secured injthe tilting carrier 40 mounted upon a fulcrum-pin 41 sustained by an arm 42 of the looper-supporting and actuatingv rock-shaft, the carrier having guide-wings 43 affording a slideway for a block 4% which is carried by a jogging member 45 for rocking the looper upon its fulcrum-pin 4:1 to produce the sidewise needle-avoiding movements of the same. As the looper is dis posed in practice in advance of the front wall of the cylinder-arm 11, it is desirable that in shiftingthe cap 19 into inoperative position it be at first drawn forward to enable its rear end to clear thelooper mechanism, and then swung laterally into the retracted position represented in Fig. 5 for access to the looper mechanism. To this end, the stop-pin 21 is fixed upon the forward portion of the throat-plate, whereby. its engagement with the guide-shoulder 20 of the cap insures that the latter be drawn outwardly in the axial line of the arm 11 until its rearward extremity clears such pin, when it is free to be turned aside. In returning the cap to operative position, the pin 21 acts similarly to prevent the premature longitudinal movement of the cap toward the end of the arm 11 while in eccentric relation therewith so as to render the looper mechanism liable to injury or disarrangement thereby.

In feed-up-the-arm machines as heretofore constructed, it has been proposed to apply to the outer end of the arm for housing the loop-taker a cap which is wholly removable. This has been objectionable, because it necessitated the operator laying the cap down upon the sewing machine supporting table after detachment, with the liability of its being dropped upon the floor under the jarring action of the adjacent machinery, and because it required the employ mentof guidebars or rods working in sockets from which they were wholly removed and which were liable to become clogged by introduction of lint and dirt so that after continued use the cap could not be returned wholly to working position. By the present improvement, the endcap cannot by any possibility be dropped or mis- 'laid, and the slideway for its movable support is never wholly vacated, and is furthermore arranged at the side of the arm where there is little liability of accumulating lint and dirt.

While the present improvement, as herein represented is specially adapted for performing the covering operation above described, it is to be understood as not limited in all its features to embodiment in Ina-- otal connection between said cap and the slide.

2. In a sewing machine, the combination with a tubular work-supporting arm, of a longitudinally movable slide mounted thereon, an end-cap fitted to the outer extremity of the arm and afi'ording a housing for a loop-taker mounted in said arm, a pivotal connection between said cap and the slide, and a stop for determining the range of longitudinal movement of said cap.

3. In a sewing machine, the combination with a tubular worksupporting arm, of a longitudinally movable slide mounted thereon, an end-cap fitted to the outer extremity of the arm and afiording a housing for a l00p-taker mounted in said arm, a pivotal connection between said cap and the slide, and a stop for preventing the turning of said cap upon its supporting slide while in position to embrace the loop-taker.

4c. In a sewing machine, the combination with a tubular work-supporting arm provided with a lateral slideway and an adjacent stop-shoulder, a slide-bar fitted to said slideway and provided with a transverse stop-pin adapted to engage said stopshoulder to limit the motion of said slidebar toward the end of the arm, an end-cap fitted to the outer extremity of the arm'and affording a housing for a loop-taker mounted upon said arm and a pivotal connection between said cap and the slide-bar.

5. In a sewing machine, the combination with a tubular work-supporting arm, of a throat-plate secured upon said arm and overhanging its forward extremity, a stoppin upon and adjacent one edge of the throat-plate, a cylindrical end-cap fitted to the extremity of said arm and having a longitudinal shoulder adapted to engage said stop-pin, a longitudinally movable slide mounted upon said arm, and a pivotal connection between the end-cap and said slide.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE E. MOLYNEUX.

Witnesses:

HENRY J. MILLER, HENRY A. KORNEMANN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

